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Friday, May 31, 2013

I have to say that I am a big Non Fiction fan. Mainly because I love to read books now and then about certain interests and hobbies I have such as Gardening and Blogging, and I also love to get an insiders view of some celebrities or other famous figures by reading their biographies or memoirs.

Fiction is definitely a great genre to read if you want to escape for a while, but the fascination with Non Fiction is because of the fact that it is based on real life facts which in some instances can be even stranger than fiction!

One of the best Non Fiction books I think I have read has to be . For some reason this book has been one I have thought about again and again since reading it years ago as it absolutely fascinated me in some sections of the book. Seriously, this man should not still be alive but is somehow still going strong. That's what I mean about Non Fiction sometimes being stranger than Fiction. When you read about someone's real life and think 'Wow, how on earth did they live like that?'

I'd love to know what Non Fiction books have stayed with everyone else years after reading them?

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Recently I was lucky enough to interview Lance Umenhofer, author of 'And The Soft Wind Blows'.Keep on reading to find out all about this great author, his love of sour candies and his new novella.

What was your inspiration behind writing ‘And
The Soft Wind Blows’?

My main inspiration comes from the people I
love who are in my life every day and who constantly interact with me.I take little pieces from these people and
place them into my characters and stories.I’m constantly leeching off of people’s personality traits, their
mannerisms, and life stories, and creating them into something new, a new
person with an interesting story to tell, a new tale cobbled together from
dozens of other stories, etc.

Would
you like to share one piece of advice you would give to other aspiring authors?

I would
just tell them to follow their dreams, especially while they’re young.Do what you want to do and find a way to get
paid for it.As I am a young author, I
cannot tell you the kind of feeling I get with each purchase of my book.It is invigorating and lets me know I’m doing
what I’m supposed to.

If you weren't
a writer, what else do you think you would you be doing instead?

Long
before I became a writer, I wanted to be in a band, playing guitar, and
possibly singing.In fact, the reason I
became a writer was because my early song lyrics soon turned into poetry, which
then developed into prose. So, I would
probably be changing my guitar strings much more often and finding a niche in
contemporary music (which is still not out of the cards).

Do you
have one particular special ‘writing place’ or are you fortunate enough to be
able to write anywhere?

I like
to write outside, especially during humid, Tennessee summer nights, where I can
smoke cigarettes and listen to the sounds of crickets, cicadas, and the wind,
feeling the muggy air surround me while I fend off those malevolent
mosquitos.But if not there, I’m at my
desk, or on the floor, or in a coffee shop.

Do you
have a favourite scene in the novella (without giving the story away too much)?

My
favourite scenes are the ones with Timmy and Alex riding in the car and sharing
their polar opposite lives with each other.(Well, Alex shares his.)I love
the dynamic between the forty year old, ignorant man and the much more worldly
eighteen year old.I think I like these
scenes so much because I made Alex from a conglomeration of a lot of my
friends, so writing it and reading it for me is almost like spending time with
an old buddy.Not to mention, Timmy’s
constant desire to be like Alex (and
later want to adopt him) is so comical and poignant to me.He wishes for anything but his present
reality, even if it’s turning into a young miscreant.

Do you
have any pets?

Not
currently, but I grew up with pugs.

What’s your favourite way to spend your spare
time?

With friends, outside (especially now since
it’s warm), playing frisbee and hacky-sack and enjoying their company.There is no place better in my eyes.

What’s
one thing that most people wouldn’t know about you?

I have
an unsettling addiction to sour candies.I crave them and don’t feel right going too long without eating
them.It’s bad.I have to budget for them, and I will go
shamelessly in eating entire bags in one sitting.

What’s one of
the most surprising things you’ve learnt about yourself since writing?

I’ve
definitely learned that I need writing in order to function properly.Its therapeutic qualities are sometimes the
only things that get me through.Sometimes, I just need to write it all down before I can move on.And the best part about it is, it works.What started off as just a hobby, soon became
who I was, what I defined myself with, and a lifelong companion through thick
and thin.

Do you
have any new works in the pipeline which you care to share any details about?

Yes!My next book,
entitled Party, is a creative
nonfiction piece that chronicles one night and its happenings in the lives of
college age kids, going on into the subsequent day.Of course, the narrator finds himself at a
large, house party (right here in Tennessee) and soon becomes thrown into the
horrors of having to save people’s lives from a round of bad drugs.The details get a little bit fuzzy about the
previous night, and the rest of the novel is set during the next day where the
narrator must piece everything together, not sure if his good friends made it
out alive.

You
can also visit my creative writing blog at: www.thehorrornamedgruffalo.blogspot.comAbout The Book:Synopsis:'Timmy Enosh is a peculiar, small man: fivethree, onehundredandfifteen pounds, and is a pharmacist in Ashton City, Tennessee.

He finds himself at fortythreeyearsold as his life starts to fall apart: his threehundred pound wife disappears, his romantic interest has lost interest and has gained hatred toward him, his coworkers harass him, customers verbally assault him, and he has the strange urge to adopt his foulmouthed, eighteenyearold coworker, Alex.

When things start to pile up, Timmy must find a way to deal: he turns to Alex to supply him with marijuana, starts sewing an elaborate Mr. Mistoffelees costume, finds solace in the wild, etc., etc., etc.

And the soft, constant wind of change blows him on, on, and on.'Links:Amazon

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Well I'll be straight with you all and admit that I really am not a fan of the classics.

It's not for a lack of trying either, I've attempted to read some Jane Austen, Oscar Wilde, George Orwell (who did actually surprise me), plus all the usual classic titles they make you read at school (especially since I did related English, classic literature was ALL we focused on).

Unfortunately, classic literature just isn't me. I lose focus on the language used and usually just get plain bored with the slow storylines.

I don't know. Maybe I just haven't found the right 'Classic' book to really make me sit up a take notice. The problem is that there are just too many new books released all the time I want to read instead, as well as the huge backlog of older books I also already have, that I guess in a selfish way I don't want to waste my time going back and reading such old books.

I'm probably going to sound awful after this post but I wanted to be truthful. After all, discussions would never get anywhere really if everyone agreed all the time right??

What do you think about classic books? Is there that one 'Classic' that you think would change my mind??Michelle

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Wow, I can't believe it has been a year already since the last Armchair BEA. Seriously, where does the time go?

Anyway, I'm going to make a huge effort to try and get a bit more involved in it this year and for starters is the usual introduction post so we can all get to know each other a little bit better.

1) Where in the world are you blogging from? Tell a random fact or something special about your current location. Feel free to share pictures.

I blog from our humble three bedroom brick home on the NSW Central Coast, Australia. Usually I am sitting on our lounge in front of the TV blogging once our two year old goes to bed late at night.2) Have you previously participated in Armchair BEA? What brought you back for another year? If you have not previously participated, what drew you to the event?

I participated (albeit very sparingly) for the first time last year. I came back this year because I wanted to try and be a bit more of an active participant this time around. Also, I want to live vicariously through this event due to us never really having anything on a remotely similar scale to BEA here in Oz.3) What are you currently reading, or what is your favourite book you have read so far in 2013?

I am currently reading three books at the moment as I've been a bit restless and have been enjoying chopping and changing from one to the other. These three books are: and 4) Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you.

I also run a beauty blog. When I had our son two years ago I went a little crazy at home while on maternity leave as I wasn't used to having nothing constructive to do. I started reading a lot of different blogs and always had a bit of a passion for beauty so decided to start my own beauty blog to pass some of the extra hours I suddenly had in a day. I didn't work up the nerve to start my book blog until almost a year later!

5) What is your favourite part about the book blogging community?

Easily the passion everyone just seems to have for books and reading and their willingness to talk forever on the subject. I have been a huge bookworm since as early as I can remember as I was an only child so spent a lot of time at home alone when I was younger with nothing to amuse me except my books. I don't have any friends or family who share the same passion for books that I have and got sick of my hubby getting a blank look on his face whenever I tried to tell him about a great book I was reading.

Monday, May 27, 2013

So, it's no secret that I am a massive Stephen King fan and 'Under The Dome' is one of his books that I have been wanting to read for such a long time but haven't had the guts because it's over 1000 pages and I get a bit scared when books get that long.....

Anyway, I happened to come across this fun readalong hosted by Coffee and a Book Chick so that everyone has the chance to try and get this chunker of a book read before the mini-series starts on TV in the USA on June 24, 2013.

Being in Australia we will probably get the mini-series a little bit later than the USA, but I'm still excited to join in on this readalong anyway as a bit of extra motivation to try and conquer this huge book!

For those interested, here is the synopsis for Under the Dome (from Goodreads):

'On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day in Chester's Mill, Maine, the town is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. Planes crash into it and fall from the sky in flaming wreckage, a gardener's hand is severed as "the dome" comes down on it, people running errands in the neighboring town are divided from their families, and cars explode on impact. No one can fathom what this barrier is, where it came from, and when -- or if -- it will go away. Dale Barbara, Iraq vet and now a short-order cook, finds himself teamed with a few intrepid citizens -- town newspaper owner Julia Shumway, a physician's assistant at the hospital, a select-woman, and three brave kids. Against them stands Big Jim Rennie, a politician who will stop at nothing -- even murder -- to hold the reins of power, and his son, who is keeping a horrible secret in a dark pantry. But their main adversary is the Dome itself. Because time isn't just short. It's running out.'
Here are some suggested rules for the readalong as per the original sign-up post:

Do you need a blog to participate? No way. If you don't have a blog, you can either sign up in the comments on the sign-up post, or you can create a free account with either Goodreads, Shelfari, or LibraryThing and enter that information into the linky there. Any of those sites will make it easier for you to track your thoughts, or you can use a Twitter account to sign up. If you don't want to do any of those, but still want to participate, then you can post your thoughts in the comments for each of the mile-marker posts throughout the readalong.

Timeline: May 25 through July 27

How many posts? Who cares! It's informal. However, if you want a little structure, you can do a kick-off post now, then a middle-of-the-road post (halfway through the book) on June 24 (to celebrate the mini-series premiere even though we all probably won't watch it until we're done reading), and then a final sayonara post on July 27. Sound good?

Mini-series Twitter chat? After the readalong as we watch our DVR'd recordings of the show? Maybe?

And do anything you want in-between! Throw a "Stephen King, you are freakishly awesome" party, or do a screamfest movie marathon, or write a gushing post on the fall release of Dr. Sleep, the sequel to The Shining. Or, you can just post your glee on the fact that you've been a horrible blogger and reader in 2013 and this readalong is going to bring. you. back. Back, baby! Oh, maybe that's just me...

I have to admit a little secret..... I don't even own a copy of this book yet but am going to do some shopping today and I promise it will be in my hot little hands before I make it home this afternoon which means I will probably make a start on it tonight :-)

I can't wait to get some time to sit down and look over the Twitter #domealong hashtag and see what everyone else's thoughts are so far!

Friday, May 24, 2013

I am super excited today to be part of this massive Anthology Tour Extravaganza for Seventh Star Press and am featuring one of the books that I just can't wait to read, 'Vampires Don't Sparkle', edited by Michael West.

Editor Bio

Michael West

Michael West is the critically-acclaimed author ofThe
Wide Game, Cinema of Shadows, Spook House, Skull Full of Kisses,and theLegacy
of the Godsseries.
A member of the Horror Writers Association and Indiana Horror Writers,
where he serves as President, West earned a degree in Telecommunications and
Film Theory from Indiana University, and since that time, he has written a
multitude of short stories, articles, and reviews for various on-line and print
publications. He lives and works in the Indianapolis area with his wife, their
two children, their bird, Rodan, their turtle, Gamera, and their dog, King
Seesar.

His children are convinced that spirits move through the woods
near their home.

Synopsis:

Vampires Don’t Sparkle! (editor Michael West):What would you do if
you had unlimited power and eternal life?

Would you…go back to high
school? Attend the same classes year after year, going through the pomp and
circumstance of one graduation after another, until you found the perfect date
to take to prom? Would you…spend your days moping and brooding, finding your
only joy in a game of baseball on a stormy day? Or would you…do something else?
Anything else?

The authors of this
collection have a few ideas; some fanciful, some humorous, and some as dark as
an endless night. Join us, and discover what it truly means to be “vampyre.”
Edited by Michael West
Foreword by Michael West

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Ms. Benedetto is a writer, artist and avid reader. Her love
of science fiction and fantasy inspired her trilogy about the mystical race of
warriors known as Shala. Her favorite authors, Anne McCaffrey, Robert Jordan,
and Orson Scott Card, have spun stories that shifted Cathy’s imagination into
high gear.

The former Vice Principal and education consultant, Cathy
was also a five time softball All-American, and AAU basketball All-American.
She was a member of the U.S. Women’s basketball team that played in the World
University Games in Czechoslovakia and the Pan American Games in Canada. While
coaching, she was published in the Women in Sports magazine and wrote a column
for the Bellevue Journal American.

Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Cathy moved to
Lexington, Kentucky in 2003. The former coach enjoys supporting the Kentucky
Wildcats women’s basketball team, woodturning, lapidary arts, and loves fishing
on her pontoon boat. A special joy is playing with David, Charlotte, Kendall,
Lily, and Liz.

Dark Shala

Book Synopsis:

Vigilance reader! There are more battles, more strategies,
more Shala and Fels and most of all more mysteries! Many questions about the
Shala from The Eyes of Sandala have been answered and many new ones arise. The
most pressing question being who are the Dark Shala and what is their place in
the war? But the mysteries do not end there, as new characters bring new
questions and new prophecies as well. The back and forth battles cause each
side to make adjustments in strategy which lead to more suspense and a strong
desire to find how the future will unfold.

The Eyes of Sandala

Book Synopsis:

Like the Navi on Pandora, the exotic warrior race called
Shala dominates the continent of Sandala. Over seven feet tall and as strong as
three men, the dark-skinned Shala share a life-long bond with wild felines. The
fierce fighters are blessed with telepathic powers, and have eyes that radiate
a kaleidoscope of colors.

The Shala live apart from the humans of Sandala, dwelling
inside the crater of an extinct volcano. But when invaders appear, they must
obey the prophecy and rise to defend the land. It will take all the cunning and
guile of their young leader, Tahjeen Tier, to contend with assassination and
betrayal, and a massive army poised to attack.

The King of the Fels

Book Synopsis:

In the exciting conclusion to the Shala Trilogy, Latiga is
under siege, travel mirrors are lost, lovers have been torn apart by the
ravages of war, and the King of the Fels is dying. These are the challenges
that Tahjeen Tier, leader of the Shala, contends with as he confronts the King
of the Fels to find out why he must sacrifice his own people to save the
Sandalese. Is there something special about these particular humans? While
Tahjeen demands answers, the Surmese invaders are poised to launch their own
final two battles — one in the heartland’s frontier, home of the fels, and the
other at Latiga, the capital of Palaton. As humans and Shala gather for the
final battle, Tahjeen learns the truth about his unborn son.

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Originally from St. Louis, Marlene makes her home in
Kentucky now. A mother and grandmother, Marlene has a wide range of interests
including watercolor and oil painting, yet writing has always been her passion.
That comes through loud and clear in her wonderful novels!

These novels reflect a genuine sincerity with very strong
characters to which her readers can relate. To quote Marlene: “It took me a
long time to start writing, but now I can’t stop. The stories just keep on
coming.”

About Gary Yeagle:

Gary Yeagle was born and raised in Williamsport, Pa., the
birthplace of Little League Baseball. He grew up living just down the street
from the site of the very first Little League game, played in 1939.

He currently resides in Louisville, Kentucky, with his wife
and four cats. He is the proud grandparent of three and is an active member of
the Jeffersontown United Methodist Church. Gary is a Civil War buff, and enjoys
swimming, spending time at the beach, model railroading, reading, and writing.

Seasons of DeathBook Synopsis:

In the fall of 1969 in the mountains of eastern Tennessee, a
poor backwoods farmer and his wife were brutally shot and killed by four
drunken hunters, along with their three dogs, horse and two fawns. The farmer’s
two young sons managed to escape but were unable to identify the killers. Now
decades later, the murders of the Pender family remain unsolved. In Townsend,
Tennessee, in Blount County, someone has decided to take revenge.

Echoes of Death

Book Synopsis:

It’s springtime in the Smokies and despite the four murders
of the previous year, tourists from every corner of the country have made the
journey to Townsend, Tennessee. The hiking trails are packed, the restaurants
are jammed, and the campsites are full. Vacation season is in full swing in the
peaceful side of the Smokies.

Saturday, May 11, 2013

L. Andrew Cooper thinks the smartest people like horror,
fantasy, and sci-fi. Early in life, he couldn’t handle the scary stuff–he’d
sneak and watch horror films and then keep his parents up all night with his
nightmares. In the third grade, he finally convinced his parents to let him
read grownup horror novels: he started with Stephen King’s Firestarter, and by grade five, he was doing book reports on The Stand.

When his parents weren’t being kept up late by his
nightmares, they worried that his fascination with horror fiction would keep
him from experiencing more respectable culture. That all changed when he
transitioned from his public high school in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia to
uber-respectable Harvard University, where he studied English Literature. From
there, he went on to get a Ph.D. in English from Princeton, turning his
longstanding engagement with horror into a dissertation. The dissertation
became the basis for his first book, Gothic
Realities (2010). More recently, his obsession with horror movies turned
into a book about one of his favorite directors, Dario Argento (2012). He also co-edited
the textbook Monsters (2012), an
attempt to infect others with the idea that scary things are worth people’s
serious attention.

After living in Florida, South Carolina, Georgia,
Massachusetts, New Jersey, and California, Andrew now lives in Louisville,
Kentucky, where he teaches at the University of Louisville and chairs the board
of the Louisville Film Society, the city’s premiere movie-buff institution.
_Burning the Middle Ground_ is his debut novel.

Burning the Middle
Ground

Book Synopsis:

Burning the Middle Ground is a dark fantasy about small-town
America that transforms readers’ fears about the country’s direction into a
haunting tale of religious conspiracy and supernatural mind control. A
character-driven sensibility like Stephen King’s and a flair for the bizarre
like Bentley Little’s delivers as much appeal for dedicated fans of fantasy and
horror as for mainstream readers looking for an exciting ride. Brian McCullough
comes home from school and discovers that his ten-year-old sister Fran has
murdered their parents. Five years later, a journalist, Ronald Glassner, finds
Brian living at the same house in the small town of Kenning, Georgia. Planning
a book on the McCullough Tragedy, Ronald stumbles into a struggle between
Kenning’s First Church, run by the mysterious Reverend Michael Cox, and the New
Church, run by the rebellious Jeanne Harper. At the same time, Kenning’s pets
go berserk, and dead bodies, with the eyes and tongues removed from their
heads, begin to appear.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Hi All. Today I am very excited to be part of the tour for 'The Man in The Box' by Andrew Toy. Check out all the details on his new book as well as the exciting Giveaway!!

About Andrew Toy:

Andrew Toy lives with his wife and dachshunds in Louisville,
KY. He is currently editing books of nearly every genre and is a writing coach
for aspiring authors. He and his wife are trying to adopt their first child,
and he is using the means of writing and editing to accomplish the goal of
enlarging his family. Check out some more of his writing and upcoming books on
his popular blog: adoptingjames.wordpress.com

Work provided Robbie Lake the perfect escape from his
family. But his life is turned upside down when he is unexpectedly fired. When
he finds a new way of escape through a cardboard box, everything changes. The
imaginary world of his childhood has evolved in his absence and is now more
savage and hostile than even he could have dreamed. Robbie is drawn in by the
excitement of his secret world, but will the cost of abandoning his family
prove too high?

Evie the Bookish Beagle

About Me

I'm a happily married Aussie mum who lives with a menagerie including a husband, a dog, two cats, a duck and some fish. I love all things beauty as well as reading, cooking, gardening and scrapbooking.